founder

Wendy Schmidt

Mrs. Schmidt is President of The Schmidt Family Foundation. She has a Master's degree in Journalism from The University of California, Berkeley and graduated magna cum laude from Smith College. Before devoting her time to the public conversation about energy and the environment, Mrs. Schmidt worked in high-tech marketing communications at Sun Microsystems, and later operated a design business, specializing in residential interiors.

Mrs. Schmidt is a trustee of The Natural Resources Defense Council, a member of Environmental Entrepreneurs, and a member of the American Society of Interior Designers.

 

president

Amy Rao

Amy acts as President of the 11th Hour Project. Amy founded Integrated Archive Systems in June 1994 and serves as its CEO. In addition to her responsibilities as CEO, Amy devotes much of her time and energy to raising awareness around climate change, global warming and encouraging environmentally friendly habits in both the work place and home. Amy also serves on the board of The Regeneration Project. Prior to IAS, Amy worked primarily in sales roles for R-Squared, Anthem Electronics, and Mobile Communications. Amy earned a B.S. in Business from Purdue University. She is married and lives with her 5 children in Palo Alto.

 

project director

Joe Sciortino

Mr. Sciortino is Project Director for the 11th Hour Project, and a key contact for all those working in concert with us. He oversees all facets of our events, productions and networks, including out website.  A former Director of the eCommerce division of Williams-Sonoma, Mr. Sciortino has spent many years as a volunteer for environmental groups in the Bay Area, including leadership of a team monitoring populations of harbor seals in the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary. Mr. Sciortino has a M.S. in Environmental Management from The University of San Francisco and a B.S. in finance and marketing from New York University.

 

project manager

Erin Strain

Ms. Strain is Director of Business Development at Integrated Archive Systems in Palo Alto, where she oversees marketing and sales administration, operations, business development and corporate philanthropy, among other responsibilities. She serves as Project Manager for The 11th Hour Project, a key role that manages events and coordinates our timetables, budgets and scheduling.  Ms. Strain is active in social and environmental causes, primarily around HIV/AIDS, conservation, and sustainability. She has an M.B.A. in International Business from The University of San Francisco and a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Business from Santa Clara University.

 

Communications Manager

Sarah Bell

Sarah is Communications Manager for the 11th Hour Project and oversees the research and management of our website and printed materials.  She is active in social and environmental causes and focuses much of her attention on the intersection of conflict and natural resource scarcity.  She holds a B.A. in both English Literature and French from the University of Colorado. An enthusiastic supporter of permaculture and former student at the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, Sarah lives in San Francisco with her husband.